“This is a momentous occasion” says Peg Merrens, UVLT’s Vice President for Conservation. “The protection of this land has long been a priority for the Lebanon Conservation Commission. We are so pleased that this partnership came together and the community will benefit for years to come.”

Peg Merrens is talking about a long awaited addition to the conserved Ticknor Road Woodland parcel in downtown Lebanon, NH. Through a three-way collaboration between the Upper Valley Land Trust, the City of Lebanon, and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, and funding from the Lebanon Open Space Trust and the NH Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund, the 110 acre parcel of land is now permanently protected. Nestled between Dulac Street and Slayton Hill Road, with frontage along the Mascoma River, the property, which was once a part of Lebanon’s agricultural community, was at high risk for development. Now it will serve as an undeveloped natural area that offers the city the benefits of flood resiliency and habitat protection in an area that has struggled with storm water runoff and flood damage.

The property, now owned by the City with a conservation easement from UVLT, has been added to Ticknor Road Woodland. These properties together provide opportunities for improved trail connectors to other City owned properties, provide flood mitigation, and serve as a part of a protected wildlife corridor. The property consists of 110 acres of forestland, with 18 acres of wetlands and vernal pools. A significant vernal pool on the property is being restored in Spring 2018 to improve habitat for amphibians and other wildlife.